Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic

Training means you have a script or program that you follow, but whether by your choice or life circumstances, you may have to or want to go off script. So, if you're a novice and have to or want to go off script, how do you navigate the potential difficulties and tradeoffs of going off script?   0:00 BL1K! 21:53 RIP Papa Reynolds 24:53 Off Script as a Novice Lifter As a novice, you can progress q...

Tanner Guzy joins Matt & Niki to talk style & its effects on how you look & feel. Check out Tanner Guzy and his style coaching  https://masculine-style.com/     Improving your style isn't about showing off or strutting around. It's about self-respect and adorning your body with clothes that help make you feel and look good.  Tanner points out that when he's looking and feeling good, he's thinking...

We return to the foundations of programming before we jump off into more advanced programming discussions in upcoming podcasts. Why are simple, hard programs the most effective? How do we decide what to do out of the countless options. The concept of MED evolved out of the idea that what coaches were doing, as opposed to simply jumping from one program (novice linear progression) to another progra...

Choosing a coach can be daunting, but we can help guide you with what to look for and avoid when you're choosing a coach (and how to evaluate a coach once you're being coached).  Andrew provides some helpful frameworks that may be more familiar to listeners: hiring an employee or choosing a contractor or company.  We're essentially outsourcing a part of our life to someone who should be able to he...

Matt, Niki, & Andrew discuss building habits to achieve your goals.  You have habits now, and your results (along any potential access: finances, health, deadlift) are the summation of your habits. One isolated act by itself does not effect excellence, but one action as part of a years of actions does.  Continuing your habits is easy. It requires no real energy to continue your habits. Like moment...

Cardio, conditioning, energy systems training: what are these, are these the same, and why would you do them? In this episode, we come to terms with cardio. Let's first consider your training and exercise background. This often affects how you think about this. Some come from a more purse powerlifting or bodybuilding background, where the goal is building muscle or improving strength.  A different...

Fear, doubt, it's a part of life & certainly a part of self-improvement, strength training, & nutrition. Find some inspiration and practical ideas for how to overcome your fears and doubt. This isn't just for beginners. Doubt is typical as we begin anything new, as the unknown can overwhelm us. There are known unknowns but also unknown unknowns. We might be afraid of embarrassment or looking silly...

Matt & Niki discuss goal setting: clear goals, digging deep to identify your whys, and how different personalities can effectively develop goals.  If you're trying to lose weight, get stronger, change your nutrition, gain muscle you've at some point identified you'd like to make change the direction of your life. Whether you formally identified your goals or made a quick decision, somehow you iden...

Matt & Niki discuss the tradeoffs of training in a home gym or commercial gym and how to build your home gym. Learn the equipment and gear to prioritize versus the nice-to-haves as well as the minimum amount of space required to have a functional home gym. Not all commercial gyms are created equal. The big box or Globo Gyms may allow you to barbell lift, but deadlifting and chalk may be prohibited...

Why do we emphasize strength as opposed to other physical attributes, and if we value strength, how do we achieve it. Niki & Matt explore WHY you should get strong & how to get strong. Strength--and the process of getting strong--produces lasting changes in our body. Our body changes to the stress we impose on it, with denser bones and bigger, more capable muscles. This changes how we interact wit...

Gillian Ward joins Matt & Niki to discuss how to get started with nutrition: identifying your goals, understanding where you are now, and implementing sustainable, realistic nutrition plans.  Gillian is a great simplifier of complex information and focuses not on the science of nutrition (though she knows it) but rather behavior changes and how to best modify clients' actions to meet their goals (...

You're in a bad place--you're not happy with your health & fitness--and you want to change that. What do you do? Matt & Niki explore your first steps for strength. This time of year New Years Resolutions occur, and there's nothing wrong with them. While they may have a low success rate, it's actually a good time of year to begin working toward a goal.  You just had the holiday period, with--probab...

What do we mean when we say "Experience Strength"? Experiencing strength is experiencing the benefits of improved quality of life through strength training and improved nutrition and other health and fitness habits.  When you're strong, you're capable and able to say yes to things. When you're weak--whether you know it or not--you're saying no to things and taking possibilities off the table.  Thi...

Matt & Niki discuss when the human element inhibits an MED modification from being the right change for a lifter. This is a re-release of episode 341. Many BLOC coaches have found a pattern where advanced clients get bored with a program, and oftentimes this happens EVEN WHEN THE PROGRAM IS WORKING (i.e. producing PRs & achieving goals).  You have to guard against program hopping or chasing the sh...

Matt & Niki discuss training & programming when you prioritize PRs and chasing numbers in the gym. This is a re-release of episode 347. This really applies to intermediate & advanced lifters, as PRs tend to come with novice & early intermediate training. As you advance as a lifter, life can prevent optimal training, so priorities shift. Sometimes training works primarily toward quality of life. So...

Niki and Andrew discuss what to do when training becomes a drag. This is a re-release of episode 337.  Different reasons can arise to make training a drag. You might simply get a little burnt out after months and years of training. PRs don't happen as much, and you might not just hit one or two workouts where you lack motivation--and don't just need a deload--but need a larger shift in training to...

Niki & Gillian discuss the concept of small wins and their value in nutrition (and training).  Big goals can be scary and overwhelming, and--regardless of the enormity of the goal--little actions, small decisions, and changes of habit accumulate to make the goal accomplishment a reality. We have to ensure we have a way of seeing and acknowledging these small wins. If we're moving close to our goal...

Matt & CJ answer your coaching questions, including ACL tears, improving vertical jump, coaching blind lifters, and coaching obese lifters.    0:00 Introduction 2:51 Nutrition Questions from Strength Clients -what is your professional scope? know it, can refer out, and admit if you can't answer the question -if you offer paid nutrition coaching, say that as part of the answer 9:15 Friendships & Cl...

Matt Reynolds, founder & CEO of Barbell Logic, takes a minute to reflect on not only what he is thankful this Thanksgiving but--as Barbell Logic turns 5 years old--he reflects & lays out Barbell Logic's core values and his commitment to them.  We help you improve your quality of life by experiencing strength. We meet you where you are and help you drive progress using Minimum Effective Dose measur...

Scott & Matt discuss recovery and how you can improve your recovery, because though most people don't give themselves enough stress others may go too far in the other direction and now recover enough, which ultimately holds them back from the gains they desire. Recovery is the opposite or absence of stress. The top two sources of recovery are rest and food. Let's discuss these. A huge area of rest...

Dr. Jonathan Sullivan joins Matt & Scott to discuss what we know about how strength training benefits the joins and how it affects joint health. You can find Sully's YouTube channel here and his Greysteel's website here .  Running actually puts more force on the knee joint than squatting below depth, so the idea that squatting below depth is bad for children (whereas people have no opposition to a...

Scott & Matt discuss their training and nutrition at a specific point of time. Scott is adjusting to having sold Data Storage, and training and nutrition are in flux. Scott has lost some weight from his highest weight ever, but training is not his top priority. Matt has been intermittent fasting in the morning, which he has found complementary to his daily schedule at this point in time.  Both Mat...

In this re-release, Matt & Scott discuss strategies for programing your press--practical tips as well as the underlying principles. The press typically stalls before the other lifts. Fewer muscles contribute to the press and the smallest deviations from an ideal bar path will cause missing reps. Unlike the other lifts, we also have more choices here in terms of form--strict, hip movement, arm move...

Jordan Harbinger,  hugely successful podcaster  and fascinating character in his own right, talks to Matt and Niki about his journey through involuntary hardship that he underwent a few years ago.  A few years ago, Jordan was on a different large podcast that was not his own. During his time on the podcast, he matured and over time felt he needed a way to exit from this podcast. He had negotiated...

Niki & Gillian pick up from Episode 381 Knowing & Remembering Your Whys to address the approach to successful sustainable nutrition with practical steps and actions meet your goals.  Gillian first address her approach to nutrition coaching (and this applies if you're acting as your own coach) with Consequences, Accountability, and Trust (CAT).  Consequences help dictate your motivation and aggress...